"What in the world is this..."
On the turbulent sea, Lahar, Mest, and the surviving soldiers floated, their expressions blank. Their terrified, horrified pupils reflected the sight of dragons battling high above.
Even from such a great distance, they could still clearly feel the terror that reached deep into their souls, making their very beings tremble.
No one had expected that what was supposed to be a relatively simple special operation would collide with such unimaginable monster brawl.
Especially Mest, who had been so adamant about bringing down Fairy Tail. His mind was now blank.
The black dragon was undoubtedly Acnologia. And the crimson long dragon, though not recorded in any text, possessed the terrifying power to contend with, even suppress, Acnologia!
And it was clearly on Fairy Tail's side.
With a monster like this, capable of destroying a continent in minutes, guarding them, even if Fairy Tail had problems, the only ones at fault would be the Council!
For a moment, Mest very realistically thought that if he really were a Fairy Tail member, it would be wonderful.
On Tenrou Island.
Including Makarov, everyone was equally stunned by the bloody, brutal battle in the sky. The timid Wendy had even closed her eyes.
"It's so hot. Strange... my body suddenly feels so hot..." Natsu, who would normally be emotionally charged at a time like this, instead frowned, breathing rapidly, looking unusual.
"Hot? Don't tell me you're thinking of joining the fight?" Hearing this, Lucy quickly warned him with a serious expression. "At a time like this, it's better to stay calm. You'll really die!"
She was genuinely afraid that this idiot would suddenly shout "I'm fired up!" and charge out.
The others also advised him.
"No, that's not it! Lucy, and everyone else, don't you feel it too?" Natsu countered, racking his brains for a description. "Like soaking in boiling lava for an entire night!"
"...And what makes you think we can understand that kind of feeling?!" Lucy instantly switched into sharp-toothed rant mode.
"Amazing, Lucy. You still have the energy to complain at a time like this," Happy remarked.
"Speaking of which, has anyone noticed that the fallen leaves suddenly increased?" Éclair said in a deep voice.
Reminded by her, everyone, who had been focused entirely on Slifer and the Black Dragon, finally noticed.
Without realizing it, the area they were in was covered in dead yellow leaves!
No, not just here. The entire island of Tenrou Island was filled with scattered, drifting dead leaves. And their source was...
The Tenrou Tree?!
"Even the Tenrou Tree is starting to reach its limit..." Standing atop the tree, Chase wiped the blood from his mouth and muttered.
He had been the first to notice this strange phenomenon.
From the moment he had stepped onto this sacred ground and felt the buff effect of the guild emblem, he had known that the Tenrou Tree's protective buff had an cap.
Its magic replenishment principle was similar to the Heart magic Hades had created. It relied on the natural energy accumulated over the years.
Or, to be more precise, Hades had most likely developed the Heart magic by referencing Tenrou Island's special environmental effects and combining them with his own magical concepts!
So-called "unlimited magic power" was only relative.
Normally, even if they were to fight for three days and nights on the island, the energy the Tenrou Tree had accumulated wouldn't change much. But this was different.
The energy the Tenrou Tree was indirectly supplying was to the True God—Slifer the Sky Dragon!
If it weren't for that, just Chase's own magic power and that of the guild members wouldn't have been enough to sustain Slifer's manifestation for this long!
"You have to hold on for me!!" Chase silently clenched his fist.
CRASH!!
A thunderous impact, like a meteor collision, came from high above. The spreading shockwaves made his hair fly wildly. The hurricane kicked up even more falling leaves.
The crimson dragon and the pitch-black dragon separated, ending their ruthless, violent close-quarters mauling.
Slifer coiled in the sky. Its long body and red wings were covered in large and small holes of light. Even part of its left cheek was missing, with light particles continuously spilling out.
Acnologia looked even more pitiful. The entire dragon was bathed in a dense mist of blood. Its pitch-black scales were mutilated, covered in shocking wounds.
Its chest was particularly torn by three massive claw marks, stretching from its left shoulder to its right abdomen. The flesh was a bloody mess, with exposed, pale white dragon bones faintly visible!
"For a dragon, you are not bad."
A majestic voice came from Slifer's mouth for the first time, carrying a hint of rare appreciation.
Though its manifestation was only possible through Chase's magic power, all of its attacks contained divine aura. And in the just-concluded brawl, Acnologia had not retreated. Instead, it had fought harder, even attempting to devour Slifer's divine power!
Whether it could achieve that aside, its ferocity was quite to Slifer's liking.
Acnologia breathed heavily, its crimson gaze fixed on Slifer, whose wounds were rapidly healing. It seemed to burn with endless rage.
Its physical strength far surpasses other dragons. Its magic is not only hard to swallow, but the violent electric currents remaining in its body are constantly weakening my power...
This was absolutely the strongest enemy it had faced since slaughtering the dragons and becoming unbeatable!
ROAR!!!
Acnologia spread its arms and roared in fury.
The long-forgotten sense of crisis aroused painful memories from the time before it had become a world-ending demon dragon, from when it was still a human physician.
Hatred, fear, helplessness, humiliation...
All its negative emotions exploded, transforming into a fierce storm that swept in all directions!
"By whatever means, in whatever form, as long as they exist in this world—no, even if it's just a soul, a spirit—all dragons must be slaughtered and crushed! I am—"
"ACNOLOGIA!! "
The agitated magical particles rapidly condensed within the storm. Acnologia's maw once again spewed out a world-ending breath.
Slifer was about to retaliate, but after tracking the trajectory of the roar, its dragon eyes flickered with surprise.
The breath wasn't aimed at it. It was aimed at the island below!
Acnologia was, after all, not Zeref, who sought death. The threat of death had restored its sanity. It had guessed Slifer's energy source from the flow of magic power.
The uncontestable destruction beam streaked across the sky, reaching Tenrou Island in an instant.
It was so fast that the Fairy Tail members on the island hadn't even reacted. Their vision was already drowned by the black light of despair.
CRASH!!!
A black mushroom cloud exploded with earth-shattering force. The horror heat instantly evaporated the coastline of Tenrou Island and the surrounding sea.
Water vapor rose. Turbulent currents howled. The sea churned, kicking up hundred-meter-high waves!
***
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